The "Fashioning Kimono" opening party takes place January 30 from 8-11 p.m. at the Memorial Art Gallery. PHOTO PROVIDED
Walking down the street in Kyoto a few years ago, there were plenty strange new sights for me to take in, perhaps none stranger than seeing a gaggle of geisha girls in kimonos strolling down the crowded alley alongside the everyday Japanese businessmen and women. It's an odd juxtaposition of sharp, modern drab and graceful, vivid tradition that's definitely worth a second look.
You won't have to travel all the way to Japan to get a glimpse of these beautiful works of art, because "Fashioning Kimono: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan" starts at the Memorial Art Gallery Sunday, January 31. The main attraction: nearly 100 colorful, ornate kimonos. The gallery's opening party (Jan 30 from 8-11 p.m.) will also feature origami demonstrations and a musical performance on the koto, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument.
The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave.) is open Wed-Sun 11 a.m.-5 p.m. or Thu 11 a.m.-9 p.m. For tickets to the exhibit opening party or for more information, visit mag.rochester.edu, 276-8900.
Comments for "ART: "Fashioning Kimono" (1/30)" (1)
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Lisa Rubiner said on Jan. 31, 2010 at 3:15pm
I attended the opening of Fashioning Kimono last night. The event was very well attended and well organized. I wish I could say that the wait in line to enter the exhibit at our appointed time was worth it. The kimonos (except for the children's garments) were all displayed like the picture that accompanies this article, hanging straight down from dowels, back facing the viewer, one after the other. The effect was one of entering a kimono fabric warehouse. Fabric design is of course an important aspect of kimono, and I understand that the idea was to convey the influence of art deco and art nouveau on the fabric patterns. But without a display of the graceful flow of the garment as it cascades along the human form , the aesthetic is lost. The kimonos in the gift shop were displayed to fuller and more beautiful effect. More thought and artistry needed to be applied to the exhibit itself.
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